Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Most vehicles, on or off road, utilize a form of disk brakes for their deceleration. The disk brake system incorporates a flat rotating disk aligned with the vehicle""s axles. Two or more flat pads lay against the disk. When braking is desired the pads are pressed tight against the rotating disk and cause it to slow its rotation, and hence the vehicle slows down. During braking, these pads are pressed against the disk either hydraulically or pneumatically through mechanical devices called calipers.
This current traditional or xe2x80x9cflatxe2x80x9d brake pad system has several drawbacks. The pads lie flat against the disks and are therefore in constant contact with it. This contact generates constant friction, even when it is not needed. The friction must be counteracted by the vehicle""s engine and therefore reduces fuel efficiency. The friction also generates high amounts of heat. This heat is detrimental to the brake""s effectiveness by reducing the overall braking energy of the system.
This invention, by its design, would counteract all of the above disadvantages of the current disk brake system. Basically the xe2x80x9cCURVED BRAKE PADxe2x80x9d is a brake pad that is flexible and slightly curved in the middle. The curved brake pad does not come in total contact with the rotating disk. It simply touches the disk on each of the ends. The curved pad is made of a pliable material which would bend flat and come in whole contact with the disk when needed but flex back to its curved position when the caliper pressure was removed. Since the curved pad is not in constant contact with the rotating disk, it does not generate the high friction that a traditional xe2x80x9cflatxe2x80x9d pad does. This reduced friction would yield higher fuel economy for the vehicle and less wear for the pad therefor requiring fewer replacements. The reduced friction would also generate less heat. The cooler operating temperature would give the system better braking capability through a higher braking energy.